"Got nothing to lose here" - Mitchell Santner divulges mindset during his sensational partnership with Michael Bracewell in Hyderabad ODI

New Zealand bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has revealed that the Kiwis kept a "nothing to lose" mindset during a remarkable comeback in the first ODI against India in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. Santner said he was happy to knock it around and let Michael Bracewell do the majority of the damage.

Santner joined hands with Bracewell in the 29th over after stand-in captain Tom Latham's departure left New Zealand needing another 219 runs in 21 overs with only four wickets remaining.

However, the duo gave the tourists a real chance to breach the 350-run target with their 162-run partnership. But India held their nerves to eke out a 12-run win.

Speaking on SENZ Breakfast, Santner, who scored 57 off 45 balls, felt things might have panned out differently had he stayed till the end with Bracewell (140 off 78). He recognized how Bracewell had put India under pressure with his mighty hits, saying:

"It was - we’ve kind of got nothing to lose here. Just played some shots, keep looking straight and then yeah, Beasty (Bracewell) got a few away and I was happy enough just to knock it around and give him the strike and watch him down the other end.

"I mean, if I was there at the end with Beast it might have been maybe a touch closer but yeah I mean he just kind of kept going and kept hitting it over the rope which was cool to see."

By reaching his hundred off 57 deliveries, Bracewell scored the joint-fastest hundred in India and got to the three-figure mark with a six over long-on off Mohammed Shami's bowling. With 20 required off the final over, the southpaw hit a six on the first ball but perished on the second as the visitors were all out for 337.

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"It was pretty flat and had good pace and good bounce" - Mitchell Santner on the Hyderabad deck

Mitchell Santner scored 57 off 45 balls. (Credits: Twitter)

Santner noted how different the conditions in India are to Pakistan and insisted that he enjoyed batting in front of a frenzied crowd in Hyderabad. He added:

"Those kinds of low, slow wickets in Pakistan, I kind of wish they were the same here but it was pretty flat and had good pace and good bounce. Obviously, in the thick of it with 50,000 people on top of you it was pretty loud but yeah, it’s always enjoyable playing here in front of this many people.

"They just love it, it was incredibly loud and you kind of forget, coming back, how loud it is. You’ve really got to keep eyes on the skip because you can’t hear anything else."

New Zealand will hope to level the three-game series on Saturday, January 21, when they lock horns with India in the second ODI in Raipur.

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